Kuwait

Kuwait is one of the world’s major international donors of humanitarian assistance and is both a pioneer and standard-bearer for the establishment of development funds in the Gulf region. Its foreign assistance is channelled either bilaterally (government to government) or multilaterally through national charitable organisations and/or international organisations.

Humanitarian assistance and volunteering are part of the main characteristics of the Kuwaiti people, a quality inherent to the fabric of Kuwaiti society, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Kuwait‘s humanitarian initiatives are not just a sentimental empathy for struggling communities worldwide. Its humanitarian diplomacy is consistent with the country’s broader humanitarian vision, which includes not only emergency relief but also long term aid, development and sustainability programmes.

The state’s contributions towards the international community are implemented through its various non-governmental organisations and aim at assisting all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or political orientation.

Kuwait has hosted three previous pledging conferences for the UN’s Syria appeals, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. These conferences raised US$1.5 billion in 2013, US$2.4 billion in 2014, and US$3.8 billion in 2015. Kuwait also hosts the meetings of the Top Donors Group for Syria.

Kuwait has increased its support for multilateral humanitarian action exponentially since the start of the crisis in Syria. In 2015, Kuwait pledged US$500 million from both the government and civil sectors.

In September 2014, the United Nations, in recognition of Kuwait’s humanitarian efforts to bring together and galvanize the international community for the relief of the Syrian people, designated the State of Kuwait an “International Humanitarian Centre”.